MY DEAR BAPU,
I have received today, on return from Lucknow, your letter of the
5th October. I am glad you have written to me fully and I shall try
to reply at some length but I hope you will forgive me if there is
some delay in this, as I am at present tied up with close- fitting
engagements. I am only here now for a day and a half. It is really
better to have informal talks but just at present I do not know when
to fit this in. I shall try.
Briefly put, my view is that the question before us is not one of
truth versus untruth or non-violence versus violence. One assumes
as one must that true co-operation and peaceful methods must be aimed
at and a society which encourages these must be our objective. The
whole question is how to achieve this society and what its content
should be. I do not understand why a village should necessarily embody
truth and non¬violence. A village, normally speaking, is backward
intellectually and culturally and no progress can be made from a backward
environment. Narrow-minded people are much more likely to be untruthful
and violent.
Then again we have to put down certain objectives like a sufficiency
of food, clothing, housing, education, sanitation, etc. which should
be the minimum requirements for the country and for everyone. It is
with these objectives in view that we must find out specifically how
to attain them speedily. Again it seems to me inevitable that modern
means of transport as well as many other modern developments must
continue and be developed. There is no way out of it except to have
them. If that is so inevitably a measure of heavy industry exists.
How far that will fit in with a purely village society ? Personally
I hope that heavy or light industries should all be decentralized
as far as possible and this is feasible now because of the development
of electric power. If two types of economy exist in the country there
should be either conflict between the two or one will overwhelm the
other.
The question of independence and protection from foreign aggression,
both political and economic, has also to be considered in this context.
I do not think it is possible for India to be really independent unless
she is a technically advanced country. I am not thinking for the moment
in terms of just armies but rather of scientific growth. In the present
context of the world we cannot even advance culturally without a strong-
background of scientific research in every department. There is today
in the world a tremendous acquisitive tendency both in individuals
and groups and nations, which leads to conflicts and wars. Our entire
society is based on this more or less. That basis must go and be transformed
into one of co-operation, not of isolation which is impossible. If
this is admitted and is found feasible then attempts should be made
to realize it not in terms of an economy, which is cut off from the
rest of the world, but rather one which co-operates. From the economic
or political point of view an isolated India may well be a kind of
vacuum which increases the acquisitive tendencies of others and thus
creates conflicts.
There is no question of palaces for millions of people. But there
seems to be no reason why millions should not have comfortable up-to-date
homes where they can lead a cultured existence. Many of the present
overgrown cities have developed evils which are deplorable. Probably
we have to discourage this overgrowth and at the same time encourage
the village to approximate more to the culture of the town.
It is many years ago since I read Hind Swaraj and I have only a vague
picture in my mind. But even when I read it 20 or more years ago it
seemed to me completely unreal. In your writings and speeches since
then I have found much that seemed to me an advance on that old position
and an appreciation of modern trends. I was therefore surprised when
you told us that the old picture still remains intact in your mind.
As you know, the Congress has never considered that picture, much
less adopted it. You yourself have never asked it to adopt it except
for certain relatively minor aspects of it. How far it is desirable
for the Congress to consider these fundamental questions, involving
varying philosophies of life, it is for you to judge. I should imagine
that a body like the Congress should not lose itself in arguments
over such matters which can only produce great confusion in people's
minds resulting in inability to act in the present. This may also
result in creating barriers between the Congress and others in the
country. Ultimately of course this and other questions will have to
be decided by representatives of free India. I have a feeling that
most of these questions are thought of and discussed in terms of long
ago, ignoring the vast changes that have taken place all over the
world during the last generation or more. It is 38 years since Hind
Swaraj was written. The world has completely changed since then, possibly
in a wrong direction. In any event any consideration of these questions
must keep present facts, forces and the human material we have today
in view, otherwise it will be divorced from reality. You are right
in saying that the world, or a large part of it, appears to be bent
on committing suicide. That may be an inevitable development of an
evil seed in civilization that has grown. I think it is so. How to
get rid of this evil, and yet how to keep the good in the present
as in the past is our problem. Obviously there is good too in the
present.
These are some random thoughts hurriedly written down and I fear they
do injustice to the grave import of the questions raised. You will
forgive me, I hope, for this jumbled presentation. Later I shall try
to write more clearly on the subject.
About Hindustani Prachar Sabha and about Kasturba Fund, it is obvious
that both of them have my sympathy and I think they are doing good
work. But I am not quite sure about the manner of their working and
I have a feeling that this is not always to my liking. I really do
not know enough about them to be definite. But at present I have developed
distaste for adding to my burden of responsibilities when I feel that
I cannot probably undertake them for lack of time. These next few
months and more are likely to be fevered ones for me and others. It
seems hardly desirable to me, therefore, to join any responsible committee
for form's sake only.
About Sarat Bose, I am completely in the dark; as to why he should
grow so angry with me, unless it is some past grievance about my general
attitude in regard to foreign relations. Whether I was right or wrong
it does seem to me that Sarat has acted in a childish and irresponsible
manner. You will remember perhaps that Subhash did not favour in the
old days the Congress attitude towards Spain, Czechoslovakia, Munich
and China. Perhaps this is a reflection of that old divergence of
views. I know of nothing else that has happened.
I see that you are going to Bengal early in November, Perhaps I may
visit Calcutta for three or four days just then. If so, I hope to
meet you.
You may have seen in the papers an invitation by the President of
the newly formed Indonesian Republic to me and some others to visit
Java. In view of the special circumstances of the case I decided immediately
to accept this invitation subject of course to my getting the necessary
facilities for going there. It is extremely doubtful if I shall get
the facilities, and so probably I shall not go. Java is just two days
by air from India, or even one day from Calcutta. The Vice-President
of this Indonesian Republic, Mohammad Hatta, is a very old friend
of mine. I suppose you know that the Javanese population is almost
entirely Muslim.
I hope you are keeping well and have completely recovered from the
attack of influenza.